'I will miss the smell of Greene King brewery'

The impending closure of a long-standing brewery has been dubbed "a shame" by locals who say they will "miss its sweet smell".

Bury St Edmunds has been home to Greene King's Westgate Street brewery – considered one of the most famous in the UK - for more than 200 years.

By 2027, however, the brewer is expected to have relocated its operations to a modern, state-of-the-art facility three miles away at Suffolk Park, next to its distribution centre.

The project was unanimously approved by West Suffolk Council, but some residents have been left wondering what the future holds for the town's beer-making hub.

Some are concerned the building could be turned into a block of flats and see its history lost, which locals told the BBC it would represent "a sign of the times".

"I feel it will be sad for it to go, because it has been there a long while and a lot of the history of Bury is going out of Bury, which I am not in favour of," said one resident.

John Murrell, 67, has lived in Bury St Edmunds his entire life and has been on a tour of the brewery three times.

"I like Greene King beer and it's been there for God knows how long but things move on," he said.

"It is probably in the wrong place and given the size of the brewery I can understand them moving it.

"I should image they might make some type of museum out of it."

Despite working as a foreman in the fermenting room of the brewery for 45 years, Michael Ely said he accepted what lay ahead for the brewery.

The 79-year-old, who joined the firm in 1960, said: "I was born with the smell of Greene King - the hops, the barley, they have a lovely, sweet smell and I've smelt it all of my life and suspect I will miss it.

"We've lived [next door] for 55 years and it's never given us any bother – you expect a little bit of noise because it is a working brewery.

"I will miss the people because I still know a lot of people that work here and it is a shame it is going, but it's life."

One of the brewery's current workers, who did not wish to be named, described the relocation as "quite exciting".

"It's a big part of Bury St Edmunds, but it is old and time and manufacturing have moved on massively," he said.

"In terms of efficiencies and process, [the current site] puts quite a big strain on a lot of things, including the environment, so moving to a brand new brewery will help that.

"I get the concerns but it is a good leap for the town."

Mark Cordell is the chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID.

"When you hear that such a large employer is looking to relocate, your concerns are they will go elsewhere in the country, so this is good news, I think," he said.

"There's lot of opportunities – including for additional housing - and there will be disruption but, if the end result is beneficial, then it is worth it".

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